A total of N350 million estimate for the repairs of electricity facilities, including the procurement of prepaid meters in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area, Delta State, by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company

(BEDC), generated apprehension among residents and consumers in the town who described the estimate as outrageous and ploy to keep them in contrived darkness.

Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) had on Monday in a statement by its Public Affairs Manager, Mrs. Esther Okolie, said that the sum of N350 million would ensure the repairs of all the problems of electricity in Ogwashi-Uku, especially, the procurement of prepaid metres.

She explained that the N350 million would be used to acquire prepaid metres for its residents who had suffered untold set back of obscure metres. Mrs. Okolie said bulk metering which would be affixed to each transformer will service a particular area, and will cost N19 million each, disclosing that N4 million earlier budgeted for the community light problems in 2015, will only help in the transmitting the current from the step down in Asaba to the 7.5KVA mini step down located in the town.

But in a swift reacting, the President General of Ogwashi-Uku Community (ODU), Mr. Emmanuel Okafor, said the amount would be available as long as a memorandum of understanding as to how BEDC willpay back the money to the community is signed.

“We are not happy that BEDC has no funds to carry its statutory responsibility. There should MOU, we shall ask our lawyers to draw up one which we will make available to BEDC for them to study and if they agree to the suggested terms, we can them go ahead and sign to make the fund available,” he declared.